Total adds to computing power

May 15, 2008
Total has added high-performance computing power to its Scientific and Technical Center.

Offshore staff

PAU, France –Total has added high-performance computing power to its Scientific and Technical Center.

The SGI Altix ICE+ computer from Silicon Graphics reaches 123 teraflops and the linked storage capacity will go to 1 petabyte. The machine is dedicated to seismic depth imaging processing and study of subsurface structures for better reservoir definition.

"In the last five years, Total's computing power has expanded seventeen-fold to keep pace with the major technical challenges facing the oil and gas industry," says Yves-Louis Darricarrère, president, Total Exploration & Production. "Not only are the fields to which we have access increasingly complex, but it is also vital to maximize the reserve recovery rate. Finally, the significant increase of drilling costs in recent years fully justifies investing in upgraded tools to accelerate decision-making."
Requiring 400 kW of electricity, the computer will emit sufficient heat to help warm the technical center.

05/15/2008